Grasping the meaning of leisure: developing a self-report measurement tool

A self-report measurement tool for the assessment of what people feel when involved in leisure activities is described. The new instrument is composed of nine scales: Perceived freedom, Intrinsic motivation, Goal-orientation, Relation to work, Active-passive participation, Optimal incongruity, Social interaction, Perceived competence , and Discretionary time availability . In a sample of 335 subjects the scales showed high internal consistency, and confirmatory factor analysis supported the hypothesized internal structure. Multidimensional scaling techniques revealed three higher-order underlying dimensions: effort level, social interaction, and purpose. Future directions for developing the instrument are discussed, as well as implications for the conceptualization of leisure.